PIA Press ReleaseSunday, January 22, 2012

DSWD to administer social welfare indicator to 4Ps beneficiaries

by Claro A. Lanipa

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur, Jan. 22 (PIA) -- To assess the present situation and determine the level of well-being of the Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries in the province in terms of survival, subsistence and self sufficiency, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will administer a social welfare indicator (SWI) to all 4Ps beneficiaries this month.

Zamboanga del Sur 4Ps Provincial Link Evangeline Poquita said the conduct of SWI will cover 11 municipalities under the fourth set composed of Pitogo, Dimataling, Margosatubig, Guipos, Tukuran, Mahayag Labangan, Ramon Magsaysay, Josefina, Aurora and Molave to include the fifth set covering the towns of Bayog, Dumalinao Tambulig and Pagadian City.

Poquita said, “Using the data gathered during the SWI, we can identify as to what area or category either on social or economic aspects the beneficiaries are not doing well or dysfunctional.

We were only given up to March of this year to administer the house-to-house assessment and interview with the beneficiaries and thru this process we can clearly assess their present living conditions.”

Meanwhile, based on the National Housing Targeting System (NHTS) survey conducted years back, Pagadian City has 12,147 potential Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries, but after DSWD conducted an eligibility check routine (ECR), 1,692 of them were disqualified for various reasons, making the number now at 10,455 beneficiaries.

Poquita explained that of the 1,692 beneficiaries who were disqualified, 721 of them are with unknown reasons followed by transfer of residence with 345, while with no 0-14 years old children (253), multiple entry (226), waived (103) and inclusion error (44).

Moreover, Zamboanga del Sur is now 100 percent covered under the poverty reduction and social development strategy of the national government that provides conditional cash grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education particularly children aged 0-14. (ALT/CAL-Zambo Sur/PIA9)